Mandala

Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit term primarily referring to what is circular thus whole, complete.

1/ In the Arthaśāstra and other legal texts, the mandala is circle of twelve neighbouring kings, some friendly and others unfriendly, in relation to a king desirous of conquest. The term could also be used for the territory under the possession of a feudatory.

2/In Shaivism, maṇḍala, cakra, and yantra are often translated as a “mystical diagram” figuring the space for rituals and the apparition of deities. Mandala can also be a disc, the lunar disc.

3/ In ancient Indian epics, it is the deployment of an army in a circular shape. The term also refers to a part of the Rig-Veda, a combination of dance sequences in the Natyashastra [Treaty on Dance], and in some texts (Kulakaulinimata, for instance) to "round" meaning "breasts".

4/ The Buddhist mandala is a circular picture, sometimes a symbol of the universe, a place of enlightnment or the symbolization of a meritous deed, to be contemplated in meditation or prayer.

5/ The term has been used by some modern historians of Southeast Asia to describe pre-State polities or areas of influences, "circles of allegiance".